Round 3: No. 75

Desperately needing a pure free safety to play center field in the middle of their Cover 2, the Bears fill the biggest hole on what used to be one of the dominant defenses in this league. General manager Jerry Angelo has stockpiled a bunch of young safeties in recent drafts – Danieal Manning, Kevin Payne, Craig Steltz and Al Afalava all came to Chicago from 2006-09 – but is yet to find anyone capable of being what Mike Brown used to be in his prime. Not only is Wright a playmaker in the secondary, but he can also come up in run support and lay the wood to enemy ball carriers.

Round 4: No. 109

Sticking in the secondary, Angelo takes a corner because you can never have too many defensive backs in today's pass-happy NFL. Zack Bowman led the Bears in 2009 with six interceptions as a first-year starter, but Charles Tillman keeps getting beaten up season after season because of his physical style of play. With former Pro Bowler Nathan Vasher recently released and free agent signee Tim Jennings only expected to compete at nickel back, Thomas could very well be the No. 3 corner as a rookie because he had an excellent Pro Day and appears to be on the rise.

Round 5: No. 141

If the rumors turn out to be true and Chicago is going to kick Frank Omiyale out to right tackle, then a Day-1 starter may be needed at left guard because the coaching staff has apparently soured on Josh Beekman. Omiyale struggled immensely his first season starting at guard after being just a reserve tackle throughout his career, so he may prove to be a better option at right tackle than incumbent Kevin Shaffer. Lauvao showed some durability by starting his last 33 games at the collegiate level, and his upper-body strength makes him a good fit for a man-on-man blocking scheme.

Round 6: No. 181

If Israel Idonije is now in the mix to start at defensive end after playing well in 2009 as a backup defensive tackle, that means the Bears are putting an awful lot of faith in Tommie Harris to be on the field more than 55-60 percent of the snaps. The three-technique tackle is the most important position in Chicago's version of the Cover 2, and right now the only player behind Harris at that critical spot is second-year pro Jarron Gilbert. Already scheduled Thursday for a pre-draft visit to Halas Hall, Collins was a late bloomer with the Cavaliers and may have his best football still in front of him.

Round 7: No. 218

Angelo has taken lots of late-round flyers on offensive linemen over the years, and while he is yet to find a true diamond in the rough, 2009 seventh rounder Lance Louis did make the 53-man roster and may have a future in this league. Even if Omiyale gets moved to right tackle and Shaffer goes back to his role as a swing option off the bench, the Bears could use some young bookend talent since Louis is probably best suited to play guard and James Marten is a journeyman at best. Offensive line coach Mike Tice has already put Linkenbach through a private workout, so the familiarity is there.

Note: These selections are based on team needs, draft value and, in some cases, which prospects the Bears have shown the most interest in thus far.